Trade Show Blog

Hottest technology trends in the trade show industry in 2017

Formerly restricted to large tradeshows and big budget exhibitors, efficient and powerful technology is now used by an increasing number of key players of the tradeshow industry, before, during and post-show.

A complete shift in how people visit and experience trade fairs has indeed recently occurred. Visitors are more connected than ever while exhibitors are seeking to generate memorable and unique customer experiences…

In this context, technology has become a key component and a climbing trend of the tradeshow industry, for organizers, exhibitors and visitors as a whole.

Learn more about the latest and greatest tech trends in the sector!

Mobile apps

Mobile apps are useful for exhibitors and could help them to geolocate attendees and/or to track customer behaviors.

Apple’s positioning system, iBeacon, (relying on Bluetooth Low Energy technology) notifies the visitor about tailored products/services or interesting exhibitors in a close area.

Thanks to tracking technologies – RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and NFC (Near Field Communication) –, exhibitors can also track visitor interests and plan meetings and various events based on mutual interests. Consequently, the tradeshow experience could be better improved, thereby offering a trade fair specific to visitors’ tailored goals and expectations.

Software

Planning software tools are interesting services that could be used both for tradeshow organizers and exhibitors to help them coordinating their activities.

Virtual / Augmented reality

CES just ended on January 8th at the Las Vegas Convention Center and virtual and augmented reality played big role for the 2017 edition.

For many different reasons, virtual reality is starting to be widely used in the tradeshow industry.

First, if you are an exhibitor, presenting virtual reality demos will attract a lot of visitors to your booth. The technology is new and novelty keeps on attracting people.

Second, for many attendees, viewing a virtual reality video will create an impactful and memorable experience. Thereby it increases your own notoriety.

Finally and thanks to VR demos, you can also seize the opportunity to present elements that cannot be viewed with traditional elements. For example, in case you are a manufacturer, you can show the production process of your items to the viewer as if he was standing in your factory.

Booth design

Visitors expect to be amazed when attending a tradeshow. For an exhibitor, technology is a fantastic tool to support his marketing efforts.

One of the last tech trends to increase visitor traffic at your booth is the cell phone charging station. It not only attracts more attendees, but also keeps them there longer. It represents a huge potential for you to network with your future clients. Companies like GoCharge offer this type of service.

Keep track of the latest technological evolutions to turn your booth into an innovative and connected platform!

But don’t forget that technology is not the be-all and end-all. It is only a mean of conveying your own message, your brand identity. This is of the essence.